Scout Report Archives and More
We're proud to announce the debut of a new service from the ISP team, the Scout Report Archives. The Scout Report Archives will provide enhanced facilities for searching through thousands of past entries from all four Scout Reports. The new facilities include an upgraded QuickSearch engine, based on the latest htDig search technology, and a new browsing interface using CYRUS,a Web-oriented classification scheme developed at Scout. The Scout Report Archives will replace Signpost, although a static version of Signpost will still be available for demonstration purposes.
Along with the Scout Report Archives we're introducing a number of updates across the entire ISP site that are intended to make the site easier to use. Two of the key changes are a revised menu system, which provides a more intuitive interface for navigation, and optimized graphics, which should improve page load times. We've also added a new Jobs At Scout page, in case you or someone you know might be interested in joining the Internet Scout Project team!
Last but not least, we have changed the name of the Scout Report for Social Sciences to the Scout Report for Social Sciences & Humanities to more accurately reflect the content of the report.
As always, we welcome your feedback on these new additions and changes, and on any aspect of the Internet Scout Project's work. If you would like to share your thoughts please send us a note at scout@cs.wisc.edu.
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Scout Report for Social Sciences and Business & Economics
Scout Report for Social Sciences
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/socsci/2000/ss-001212.html
Scout Report for Business & Economics
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/bus-econ/2000/be-001214.html
The eighth issues of the fourth volumes of the Scout Reports for Social Sciences and Business & Economics are available. The In the News section of the Social Sciences Report annotates eight resources on the US Supreme Court and the presidential election. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section offers eight resources on General Motors's decision to phase out the venerable Oldsmobile line after 103 years. [MD]
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US Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) Learning Center [RealPlayer]
http://wlc.ushmm.org
The USHMM (last discussed in the March 24, 2000 Scout Report has recently launched a new Learning Center for students and teachers, as well as the interested public. The site offers a very impressive collection of resources, including 140 short articles, 41 artifact images, 103 video clips, 202 maps, 28 chronologies, and over 900 photos. These are organized by topic, such as Antisemitism, "Final Solution," America and the Holocaust, Jewish Resistance, and Forced Labor, among others. A keyword search engine is also provided. The USHMM has previously offered a number of quality online resources, but this outstanding and varied collection now represents perhaps the finest introduction to and summary of the Holocaust available online. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Measuring Up 2000: The State-by-State Report Card for Higher Education -- The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education
http://measuringup2000.highereducation.org/reporthome.htm
Posted on November 30 and billing itself as the "first state-by-state report card f or higher education," this Website grades states on "their performance in five categories: preparation, participation, affordability, completion, and economic and civic benefits." The site offers several different options for examining the report's assessments and the supporting data. Users can view each state's performance in the five categories in the States at a Glance section or examine both data and assessment in-depth by following the link to States Profiles. Users can also access a map that color-codes the states in terms of their performance in the five categories and consult articles, findings, student profiles, supporting documents, and more which have been made available on-site. Users may also compare the performance of various states as well as compare an individual state's performance changes over time. While we suspect some may take issue with the final assessments, both the data used and the criteria applied are clearly presented here by the study's authors. The National Center, an "independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, . . . promotes public policies that enhance Americans' opportunities to pursue and achieve high-quality education and training beyond high school." [DC]
[Back to Contents]The Economics of Korean Unification [.pdf]
http://www.iie.com/HOTOPICS/korea/Hotkorea.htm
The Institute for International Economics (IIE) presents this new Website exploring the economic ramifications of the unification of North and South Korea. The extensive collection of IIE resources on this site include speeches, testimonies, and essays, along with Websites, policy briefs, working papers, and even the full texts of books. All resources are presented on the main page of the site and span from 1996 to the present. While the titles are fairly self-explanatory, abstracts and annotations are not provided for any of the sources. [EM]
[Back to Contents]Florida Heritage Collection [.pdf]
http://susdl.fcla.edu/fh/
Recently launched by the libraries of the State University System (SUS) of Florida, this site contains some 48,000 pages of materials on Florida's history, culture, arts, literatures, sciences, and social sciences. The collection may be browsed by Florida county, title, or author or searched by a number of options. Item records include author, title, date published, a description, series, notes, a summary, and links to the electronic version (in .pdf or JPEG formats). Users can mark selected records and then email or print them. A user guide and tutorial are provided, as is a Florida timeline which links to related materials. [MD]
[Back to Contents]DRUGFACTS.com
http://www.drugfacts.com/DrugFacts/home/index.jhtml
Provided by Facts and Comparisons, this site offers a large amount of free reference and professional resources for pharmacists and patients. The most important of these are the full text of Drug Facts,Drug Facts Abridged (free registration required), Medfacts, and The Guide to Popular Natural Products. Collectively, these offer authoritative information on thousands of drugs and natural products (herbal medicines). Additional reference resources are available on a subscription basis. Other free resources at the site include a number of newsletters, top news stories, disease information, Rx tools, and professional information. The site is certainly a valuable resource for pharmacists, but it also offers number of tools and reference resources for consumers and patients. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Nice European Council [.pdf]
http://europa.eu.int/comm/nice_council/index_en.htm
EU members met last week in Nice, France to revise the manner in which the European Union reaches decisions in preparation for the entry of new member countries. Among the key provisions of the Treaty of Nice are a new formula for qualified majority voting (QMV), majority voting in some areas will now override individual country vetoes, and a reduction in the size of the European Commission. Background information on the meeting, progress reports, photos, speeches, and other materials are available at the official site of the Nice Council. Most of these resources are available in multiple languages. The full text of the Treaty itself is available in .pdf format from the main page. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Wolverhampton Archives and Local Studies [Flash, .pdf]
http://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/archives/
This very impressive site should serve as a model for any local archive that creates a Web presence. Well-designed and very easy to use, the site offers a number of research guides as well as detailed information and downloadable fact sheets on records related to the census, poor law, civil registration, military service, wills, taxation, and many others. Visitors will also find a selection of resources on local history, including maps, books, newspapers, and photographs. In addition, the site contains a special section for genealogy researchers, the bread and butter of most local archives. This section offers extensive information in a number of guides and a flash tutorial. General information on the archives and an online catalog complete the site, though the latter is currently under construction. [MD]
[Back to Contents]"Agenda Report: Learning Without Limits"
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/AgenProj/report/index.html
Recently released by the US Department of Education, this report is "a blueprint for the federal role in postsecondary education." The report outlines twelve strategies and thirty-eight steps organized around five themes: ensuring that all students are prepared to go to college and succeed; examining the roles and responsibilities in paying for college; improving teacher quality; integrating technology and distance education into the curriculum; and revitalizing international education. The full text, navigated by section, is available at the Department of Education Website. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Digital-Preservation Announcement and Information List
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/digital-preservation.html
This new moderated low-traffic announcement and current awareness mailing list will post announcements and information on activities relevant to the preservation and management of digital materials in the UK. "Topics will include: digital archiving, management and preservation; electronic records management; emulation; migration; long-term access; research projects; national, international and institutional initiatives in relevant areas." Information on joining the list and message logs are available at the URL above. [MD]
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Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850-1920 (EAA)
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/eaa/
This new, collaborative, effort between the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History and Duke University's Digital Scriptorium contains images of over 9,000 advertising items and publications dating from 1850 to 1920. The site is designed to chronicle the rise of consumer culture in America in the late nineteenth century as well as the development of a professionalized advertising industry. The images are grouped into eleven collections, each of which offers background information and may be browsed or searched. Users may also search the entire database by keyword or illustration content. Each collection is browsed via a long list of subjects which expand into a list of items when selected, not unlike many American Memory collections. Each item is offered as a thumbnail with two choices of resolution size. Information provided includes title, year of publication, company, product, illustration type, and notes. A solid resource for historians or anyone interested in the history of American consumer culture. [MD]
[Back to Contents]The New Zealand Digital Library -- University of Waikato [RealPlayer, QuickTime, MPEG]
http://www.nzdl.org/cgi-bin/library
This fine Website provides searchable access to a number of voluminous document collections from diverse sources around the world in the fields of history, humanitarian and global development, computer science, music, and literature. These databases are chock full of documents, reports, articles, bibliographies, periodicals, and audio/ video files. The Website's searching and browsing interfaces are provided by Greenstone digital library software and enable easy, effective searching through these substantial collections, which include materials from the UN University, the Food and Agriculture organization, the Humanity Development Library, the World Environment Library, the Bibliotheque pour le Developpement, and more. Also included here are interfaces for the Gutenberg Project (see the November 22, 1996 Scout Report), a women's history collection, a youth oral history covering the lives of New Zealand children in the pre- and post-World War II years, the New Zealand Digital Music Library, and even an extensive music video collection (note: download times for videos can be several minutes). Two of the collections -- on Arabic and Chinese studies -- appear to be still under construction. The great boon of the site, of course, is the fact that rather than simply serving as a gateway, it allows users to immediately access the various materials brought up by the interface. "The New Zealand Digital Library project is a research program at The University of Waikato whose aim is to develop the underlying technology for digital libraries and make it available publicly so that others can use it to create their own collections." [DC]
[Back to Contents]Criminal Statistics England and Wales 1999
http://www.official-documents.co.uk/document/cm50/5001/5001.htm
Released by the UK Stationery Office this week, this report provides statistics on criminal offenses recorded by the 43 police forces in England and Wales and for "offenders dealt with by formal police cautions, reprimands or warnings, or criminal court proceedings." The report begins with a general overview and summary. Subsequent chapters include quick links to the key points, an introduction, and tables of statistics. Eight appendices are also included. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Quirks & Quarks [RealPlayer, .mp3]
http://radio.cbc.ca/programs/quirks/
Aired every Saturday on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Radio and on short-wave via Radio Canada International, Quirks & Quarks is an award-winning one-hour program that explores the latest news in science, technology, medicine, and the environment. Visitors can listen to programs in streaming RealAudio or download files in RealPlayer and .mp3 formats. Brief descriptions and related links are provided for each of the week's stories. Audio archives are available back to February 1996 and program logs to 1989. [MD]
[Back to Contents]The Texas Constitutions Digitization Project
http://www.law.utexas.edu/constitutions/index2.html
Presented by the Tarlton Law Library at the University of Texas School of law, this site offers digital copies of the twelve constitutions of the State (and Republic) of Texas drafted between 1824 and 1876. Both transcriptions and digital images of the original documents are provided, along with a bibliography of printings, a supplemental bibliography, and a link to the relevant Handbook of Texas article. A Spanish version is also available for a few of the constitutions. An internal search engine, an annotated bibliography on the constitutions, a bibliography on Texas constitutional history, and a collection of related links are also provided. [MD]
[Back to Contents]USDA Forest Service Strategic Plan (2000 Revision) - Final Version [.pdf]
http://www2.srs.fs.fed.us/strategicplan/
First reviewed in the December 10, 1999 Scout Report, the USDA Forest Service Strategic Plan focuses on long-term outcomes, such as the health of the land, water quality, and customer satisfaction. Users can read the full text of the 74-page plan in .pdf format, browse the plan in HTML format, submit comments on each section, and view a list of previous suggestions. [MD]
[Back to Contents]TuneIn Network [Windows Media Player]
http://www.tuneinnetwork.com/
This site may possibly represent the next step in full-length on-demand movies on the Web. TuneIn Network is compiling a very large database of "digitized movies, music videos, how-to-videos, shorts and television shows." At present, the database contains over 30,000 "elements." Visitors can watch a number of these selections for free in Windows Media Player Format. The free, full-length movies are organized by channel: classic, western, comedy, etc. Selecting a channel automatically launches a featured movie, but users may choose other featured films after free registration. Some of the movies presently available at the site are fairly typical late-late show fare, but there are a number of gems, including Gold Rush,His Girl Friday,Heidi,Detour, and The Stranger. Users can also download movies for a fee and play them full-screen on their computer at home. Although it is still not clear how many people are willing to watch a two-hour movie in a four-inch window, the site could be very useful to those looking for a particular scene or sequence in a movie, as it is much easier to skip around the movie using Media Player rather than a VCR. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Yogabasics.com
http://www.yogabasics.com
Don't know the difference between a reverse warrior and a revolved triangle? Asanas and Pranayama? Head on over to Yogabasics.com, an attractive, fact-filled site that offers plenty of information for anyone interested in learning about yoga. Cast in a soothing green, the site currently offers a basic introduction to yoga and its history, an illustrated guide to over 45 yoga postures, introductions to and links for information on Pranayama and the seven Chakras, free yoga .mp3s, free yoga music radio, and a forum. [MD]
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Fossick WebSearch Alliance Directory
http://fossick.com/index.htm
Fossick Meta Search Engine
http://fossick.com/Search.htm
Based in Australia, Fossick is another entrant in the already crowded field of metasearch engines. It does have a few things going for it, however. The WebSearch Alliance Directory is a nice collection of some 3,000 specialty search engines and guides, organized by topic in eleven categories. Rather than presenting items in a boring list of links, Fossick uses easy-to-read graphical buttons which take users directly to the site. The Fossick Meta Search Engine permits queries by keyword with multiple modifiers, the most important of which allows users to search for results related to a specific country (out of 32). The engine draws results from Altavista, Excite, Infoseek, HotBot, Lycos, NorthernLight and Webcrawler, but in selected test searches it failed to perform as well as the Scout Project's favored engine, Google. Still, both sites are worth a look, especially the Directory. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Flash 5.0
http://www.macromedia.com/downloads/
Flash 5.0 Tips -- CNET
http://www.cnet.com/webbuilding/0-7335-8-3993307-1.html
Macromedia Flash is a standard for creating and viewing animations and other multimedia content online, and the latest version includes a new interface, improved ActionScript, support for high-fidelity MP3 streaming audio, text entry fields, interactive interfaces, and more. Users who want improved access to Flash content should download version 5.0 for free at the Macromedia site. Flash artists can learn more about this latest release at CNET's Flash 5.0 Tips and Tricks page. [MD]
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End of the Line for Chernobyl
"Chernobyl shut down for good" -- BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1071000/1071344.stm
"Chernobyl powers down permanently" -- CNN [RealPlayer, QuickTime]
http://www.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/europe/12/15/chernobyl.shutdown/index.html
"Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Shut Down" -- New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/library/photos/20001215chernobyl-pix.1.html
Chernobyl Closure Update -- IAEA
http://www.iaea.or.at/worldatom/Press/P_release/2000/chernobyl_update.shtml
Interfax-Ukraine News Agency
http://www.interfax.kiev.ua/eng/
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
http://www.mfa.gov.ua/eng/index.html
Chernobyl: The Accident and Progress Since 1986 [.pdf]
http://www.uilondon.org/chernidx.htm
Chernobyl.com
http://www.chernobyl.com/
After a televised address to the nation, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma gave the order today to shut down the last functioning reactor at Chernobyl, site of the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986. On April 26, 1986, flaws in the plant's cooling system and operator error set off an uncontrollable power surge and chemical explosions that blew the 1,000-ton cover off the top of Reactor Four. Thirty-one people, mostly fireman, were killed immediately after the explosion, and thousands more, including clean-up crew members and children, have since died from radiation-related illnesses. The health of millions more and the environment of Ukraine have most likely been negatively affected forever. The final shutdown of Chernobyl comes after years of intense international pressure and promises of substantial aid from the EU and the US to help with the cleanup and the construction of two replacement nuclear reactors.
The BBC report on Chernobyl includes analysis and commentary on the shutdown, the disaster, and the legacy of Chernobyl, as well as related links. CNN's coverage includes audio and video selections, archived stories, and related links, while the New York Times (free registration required) includes a slide show of today's events. The International Atomic Energy Agency site outlines the next steps in the decommissioning of Chernobyl. Additional information is available from the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Two private sites, Chernobyl: The Accident and Progress Since 1986 and Chernobyl.com, offer a number of resources, including background information, photos, and related links. [MD]
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